Milwaukee County Transit System

The free bus service on July 6 is meant to thank regular riders for their adaptability during the three-day strike, according to County Executive Chris Abele.

Union drivers walked off the job early Wednesday, after they and the Milwaukee County Transit System failed to reach a new contract agreement. The union says its drivers plan to return to the job early Saturday morning, even though they don't yet have a new contract.

While the Milwaukee County Transit System and its union bus drivers remain at a budget stalemate, several organizations are offering residents options for travel, including to Summerfest and the July 3 lakefront fireworks.

In addition, at least one church is helping organize carpools, especially for people who need to reach grocery stores and medical appointments.

Tens of thousands of people found themselves stranded on Wednesday after Milwaukee County bus drivers walked off the job. The union, which represents 750 bus drivers and mechanics, went on strike at 3 a.m. after eleventh-hour negotiations failed on Tuesday.

It appears all-day federal mediation on Tuesday failed to break the contract impasse between union bus drivers and the Milwaukee County Transit System. So the drivers plan to walk off the job at three o'clock Wednesday morning, after buses transport thousands of people who ride to Summerfest.

On Monday, members of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 998 rejected the latest contract offer from the transit system. Union leaders say members particularly oppose the system's desire to hire part-time drivers.

The Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors is expected next week to consider final approval of a program that would provide free bus rides to an estimated 30,000 disabled and senior riders a year on Milwaukee County Transit.

If it’s approved, the GO Pass program would go into effect at the beginning of April. The County’s Transportation director, however, has recommended a three-month delay in implementing the program to allow for broader distribution of passes.

Although I take public transportation all the time when I’m in New York, I hadn't been on a Milwaukee bus since I got my driver's license at 16. But half a century later, I’m old enough to get a discounted fare again, so when work took me downtown on a regular basis last winter, I decided to bury my old prejudices and take the bus.